Summary

The Curious Writerby Bruce Ballenger is an assignment-oriented, all-in-one rhetoric-reader-handbook that stresses the connections between personal and academic writing. The Curious Writer emphasizes research as a key part of the writing process, encourages revision throughout the writing assignment chapters, and places strong emphasis on critical reading skills. Topics include research, writing process, and revision process. Both student and professional readings are included, up-to-date coverage of computers and the Internet includes tips on using the Internet as a research tool. General interest; improving writing skills.

Table of Contents

Instructor Preface

xix

Student Preface

xxviii

Writing as Inquiry

3

(34)

Motives for Writing

4

(1)

Beliefs About Writing

5

(6)

Inquiring into the Details Journals

7

(1)

Unlearning Unhelpful Beliefs

8

(1)

The Beliefs of This Book

9

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Portfolios

10

(1)

Writing Situations and Rhetorical Choices

11

(2)

Habits of Mind

13

(7)

Start with Questions, Not Answers

13

(1)

Suspend Judgment

14

(1)

Writing with Computers

15

(1)

Search for Surprise

16

(2)

Inquiring into the Details Invention Strategies

18

(2)

Writing as a Process

20

(14)

Recognizing the Challenges

20

(5)

Thinking About Your Process

25

(1)

Linear versus Recursive Models

26

(2)

Dialectical Thinking

28

(6)

Using What You Have Learned

34

(3)

Reading as Inquiry

37

(28)

Motives for Reading

38

(1)

Beliefs About Reading

39

(2)

Reading Situations and Rhetorical Choices

41

(2)

Reading as a Process

43

(15)

Linear versus Recursive Models

43

(1)

Reading Jack Hitt, Excerpt from ``Dinosaur Dreams''

44

(2)

Inquiring into the Details Reading Perspectives

46

(1)

Dialectical Thinking

47

(1)

Believing and Doubting

48

(1)

Reading Bruce Ballenger, ``The Importance of Writing Badly''

49

(4)

Inquiring into the Details The Double-Entry Journal

53

(1)

Adapting to Unfamiliar Reading Situations

54

(1)

Reading David W. Noble, Excerpt from The Forces of Production

55

(2)

Writing with Computers

57

(1)

``Reading'' Images

58

(5)

Some Strategies for Reading Images

58

(5)

Using What You Have Learned

63

(2)

Ways of Inquiring

65

(28)

Opening Questions for Inquiry

66

(2)

Exploration

68

(4)

Explanation

72

(5)

Evaluation

77

(5)

Reading Peter Sacks, Excerpt from ``Generation X Goes to College''

81

(1)

Reflection

82

(3)

Symphonic Inquiry

85

(6)

Reading Stephen Corey, ``A Voice for the Lonely''

86

(5)

Writing with Computers

91

(1)

Using What You Have Learned

91

(2)

Writing a Personal Essay

93

(46)

Writing About Experience

93

(1)

Motives for Writing a Personal Essay

94

(1)

Personal Essays and Academic Writing

95

(1)

Features of the Form

96

(19)

Personal Essay Barbara Kingsolver, ``Life Without Go-Go Boots''

97

(3)

Inquiring into the Essay

100

(1)

Personal Essay Bailey White, ``Forbidden Things''

101

(3)

Inquiring into the Essay

104

(1)

Personal Essay Judith Ortiz Cofer, ``Silent Dancing''

105

(7)

Inquiring into the Essay

112

(1)

Seeing the Form Self-Portrait by Frances Benjamin Johnston

113

(2)

The Writing Process

115

(22)

Thinking About Subjects

115

(1)

Generating Ideas

116

(1)

Listing Prompts

116

(1)

Fastwriting Prompts

117

(1)

Visual Prompts

117

(2)

Inquiring into the Details Clustering or Mapping

119

(1)

Research Prompts

120

(1)

Judging What You Have

120

(1)

What's Promising Material and What Isn't?

121

(1)

Questions About Purpose and Audience

121

(1)

Questions for Reflection

122

(1)

Writing the Sketch

122

(1)

Writing with Computers

123

(1)

Student Sketch Lana Kuchta, ``The Way I Remember''

124

(2)

Moving from Sketch to Draft

126

(1)

Evaluating Your Own Sketch

126

(1)

Questions for Peer Review

127

(1)

Reflecting on What You've Learned

127

(1)

Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information

127

(2)

Composing the Draft

129

(1)

Methods of Development

129

(1)

Using Evidence

130

(1)

Workshopping the Draft

131

(1)

Reflecting on the Draft

131

(1)

Questions for Readers

131

(1)

Revising the Draft

132

(1)

Polishing the Draft

133

(1)

Student Essay Micaela Fisher, ``Holy Jealousy''

134

(2)

Evaluating the Essay

136

(1)

Using What You Have Learned

137

(2)

Writing a Review

139

(44)

Writing That Evaluates

139

(1)

Motives for Writing a Review

140

(1)

The Review and Academic Writing

141

(1)

Features of the Form

142

(17)

Review Bryan Curtis, ``The Best Little Chophouse in Town''

145

(2)

Inquiring into the Essay

147

(1)

Review Neal Pollack, ``Rock On? Yeah, in Chairs''

148

(3)

Inquiring into the Essay

151

(1)

Review Ann Hodgman, ``No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch''

152

(4)

Inquiring into the Essay

156

(1)

Seeing the Form Choosing the Best Picture

157

(2)

The Writing Process

159

(22)

Thinking About Subjects

160

(1)

Generating Ideas

160

(1)

Listing Prompts

160

(1)

Fastwriting Prompts

161

(1)

Visual Prompts

161

(1)

Research Prompts

161

(1)

Writing with Computers

162

(1)

Judging What You Have

162

(1)

What's Promising Material and What Isn't?

162

(1)

Questions About Audience and Purpose

163

(3)

Thinking About Criteria

166

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Collaborating on Criteria

167

(1)

Writing the Sketch

168

(1)

Student Sketch Mike Peterson, ``Gladiator: Good Hollywood''

168

(2)

Moving from Sketch to Draft

170

(1)

Evaluating Your Own Sketch

170

(1)

Questions for Peer Review

171

(1)

Reflecting on What You've Learned

171

(1)

Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information

171

(1)

Re-experience

171

(1)

Interview

172

(1)

Read

172

(1)

Composing the Draft

172

(1)

Methods of Development

173

(1)

Using Evidence

174

(1)

Workshopping the Draft

175

(1)

Reflecting on the Draft

175

(1)

Questions for Readers

175

(1)

Revising the Draft

176

(1)

Polishing the Draft

177

(1)

Student Essay Mike Peterson, ``Open Your Eyes, Cameron Crowe''

178

(2)

Evaluating the Essay

180

(1)

Using What You Have Learned

181

(2)

Writing a Proposal

183

(44)

Writing About Problems and Solutions

183

(3)

Problems of Consequence

184

(1)

Problems of Scale

185

(1)

Motives for Writing Proposals

186

(1)

The Proposal and Academic Writing

187

(1)

Features of the Form

187

(16)

Proposal Maia Szalavitz, ``Stand and Deliver''

189

(3)

Inquiring into the Essay

192

(1)

Proposal James Howard Kunstler and Nikos A. Salingaros, ``The End of Tall Buildings''

193

(5)

Inquiring into the Essay

198

(1)

Proposal Caroline Hsu, ``Is It Time to Ditch Senior Year?''

199

(2)

Inquiring into the Essay

201

(1)

Seeing the Form Stop Torturing Chicks?

202

(1)

The Writing Process

203

(22)

Thinking About Subjects

204

(1)

Generating Ideas

204

(1)

Listing Prompts

204

(1)

Fastwriting Prompts

204

(2)

Inquiring into the Details Causation

206

(1)

Visual Prompts

207

(1)

Research Prompts

207

(1)

Judging What You Have

208

(1)

What's Promising Material and What Isn't?

208

(1)

Questions About Audience and Purpose

209

(1)

Questions of Form

209

(1)

Research Considerations

210

(1)

Writing the Sketch

210

(1)

Student Sketch Amy Garrett, ``The Happy Cow''

211

(1)

Moving from Sketch to Draft

212

(1)

Evaluating Your Own Sketch

212

(1)

Questions for Peer Review

212

(1)

Writing with Computers

213

(1)

Reflecting on What You've Learned

214

(1)

Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information

214

(1)

Composing the Draft

215

(1)

Methods of Development

216

(1)

Using Evidence

217

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Evidence---A Case Study

218

(1)

Workshopping the Draft

218

(1)

Reflecting on the Draft

218

(1)

Questions for Readers

219

(1)

Revising the Draft

219

(1)

Polishing the Draft

220

(1)

Student Essay Amy Garrett, ``The Happy Cow''

221

(4)

Evaluating the Essay

225

(1)

Using What You Have Learned

225

(2)

Writing an Argument

227

(46)

Writing to Persuade People

227

(5)

Getting into Arguments

228

(2)

Making Claims

230

(1)

Two Sides to Every Argument?

231

(1)

Motives for Writing an Argument

232

(1)

The Argument and Academic Writing

233

(1)

Features of the Form

234

(13)

Argument Amitai Etzioni, ``Law and Order and the Wild, Wild Web''

236

(3)

Inquiring into the Essay

239

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Some Basic Argument Strategies

239

(1)

Argument George F. Will, ``The `Growth Model' and the Growth of Illiteracy''

240

(2)

Inquiring into the Essay

242

(1)

Argument Doris Lessing, ``What We Think of America''

243

(1)

Inquiring into the Essay

244

(1)

Seeing the Form Guess.com Ad

245

(2)

The Writing Process

247

(24)

Thinking About Subjects

247

(1)

Generating Ideas

248

(1)

Listing Prompts

248

(1)

Fastwriting Prompts

249

(1)

Visual Prompts

250

(1)

Research Prompts

250

(2)

Writing with Computers

252

(1)

Judging What You Have

252

(1)

What's Promising Material and What Isn't?

252

(1)

Questions About Audience and Purpose

253

(1)

Research Considerations

254

(2)

Inquiring into the Details Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

256

(1)

Narrowing the Question

256

(1)

Writing the Sketch

257

(1)

Student Sketch Ben Bloom, ``How to Really Rock the Vote''

257

(1)

Moving from Sketch to Draft

258

(1)

Evaluating Your Own Sketch

258

(1)

Questions for Peer Review

259

(1)

Reflecting on What You've Learned

260

(1)

Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information

260

(1)

Composing the Draft

261

(1)

Methods of Development

261

(2)

Inquiring into the Details What Evidence Can Do

263

(1)

Using Evidence

264

(1)

Workshopping the Draft

264

(1)

Reflecting on the Draft

264

(1)

Questions for Readers

265

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Ten Common Logical Fallacies

265

(2)

Revising the Draft

267

(1)

Polishing the Draft

268

(1)

Student Essay Kelly Sundberg, ``I Am Not a Savage''

269

(2)

Evaluating the Essay

271

(1)

Using What You Have Learned

271

(2)

Writing a Critical Essay

273

(50)

Writing About Literature

273

(1)

Motives for Writing a Critical Essay

274

(1)

The Critical Essay and Academic Writing

275

(1)

Features of the Form

276

(26)

Short Story Leslie Marmon Silko, ``Lullaby''

277

(8)

Inquiring into the Story

285

(1)

Short Story Alice Walker, ``Everyday Use''

286

(8)

Inquiring into the Story

294

(1)

Critical Essay John Gruesser, ``Animal Imagery in `Everyday Use'''

295

(2)

Inquiring into the Essay

297

(1)

Seeing the Form Christina's World

298

(4)

Andrew Wyeth

The Writing Process

302

(19)

Thinking About Subjects

302

(1)

Generating Ideas

303

(1)

Listing Prompts

303

(1)

Fastwriting Prompts

304

(1)

Visual Prompts

304

(1)

Research Prompts

305

(1)

Inquiring into the Details Common Literary Devices

305

(2)

Judging What You Have

307

(1)

What's Promising Material and What Isn't?

307

(1)

Questions About Audience and Purpose

308

(2)

Writing a Sketch

310

(1)

Student Sketch Julie Bird, ``What Is the Role of Nature in `Lullaby'?''